Why Hussain Haqqani maligns Pakistan ?

Reema Shaukat
PAKISTAN and Afghanistan both have paid huge price in war against terrorism. Whenever there is something shaky in Afghanistan, Pakistan is blamed often without evidence for precarious environment. Porous border between both countries is a big issue as it helps infiltrators to access each other’s soil easily but effective border management and cooperation on both sides will help improve security situation in both countries.
Apart from several other security lapses there are people who retain sympathies with US and provide it with wrong suggestions in order to conquer this war against terrorism. Hussain Haqqani in last few months has appeared to be more loyalist to US and less stalwart to Pakistan. Hussain Haqqani became one of Pakistan’s youngest ambassadors, serving in Sri Lanka from 1992 until 1993. He served as Pakistan’s Envoy to the United States from 2008 to 2011 during Asif Ali Zardari era. Haqqani’s tenure as ambassador to US remained quite controversial as he was called “Washington’s ambassador to Pakistan” rather than Pakistan’s envoy to the US.
Hussain Haqqani who is serving currently as Director for South and Central Asia at the Hudson Institute in Washington DC and his wife Farah Naz Ispahani both are found trying their best to gain popularity as true patriotic Pakistani through their books and public talks which certainly is doubtful because of their anti-Pakistan statements. Sooner than later, he opted to align his loyalties to “pay back” Pakistan for the sins that allowed him to become the top most diplomat. He along with his spouse authored books like “Pakistan: Between Mosque and Military”, “Magnificent Delusions: Pakistan, the United States and an Epic History of Misunderstandings” and “Purifying the Land of the Pure; Pakistan’s Religious Minorities”.
Be it a platform of a US based forum ie South Asians Against Terrorism & For Human Rights (SAATH) or Times Literature Festival Delhi (TLDF) 2016; be it an anti-Pakistan talk conducted at Stimson Centre or Carnegie Endowment; be it a book launch or memorial of Akbar Bugti’s death anniversary, Haqqani and his wife spare no occasion or an international platform to spit venom against Pakistan, its ideology and institutions, particularly the security structure. Generally key content of their speeches and talks always include promoting inter provincial hatred, spreading despair and chaos as well as maligning the image of national institutions, culture, religion and name of Pakistan.
As a sympathiser to US, he advises Trump how he can manage American fuss in Afghanistan. In his another article published lately, he called on President Donald Trump to take a tough stand against Pakistan if Washington wants to secure Afghanistan’s trust. In an opinion piece titled ‘To Win Afghanistan, Get Tough on Pakistan’ for The New York Times, Haqqani says, “Although the Taliban are said to control or contest 40 per cent of Afghanistan’s territory, Taliban leaders operate from the safety of Pakistan”. He further added that President Trump must now consider alternatives as Washington’s incentives to Pakistan since the September 11, terror attacks have failed to dissuade the latter from stopping its support to the Taliban and other terror elements.

He also opined that for Islamabad, the alliance with the United States has been more about securing weapons, economic aid and diplomatic support in its confrontation with India. According to his opinion Pakistan wants to keep alive imaginary fears possibly to maintain military ascendancy in a country that has been ruled more by generals.
According to reports Hussain Haqqani is soon going to launch another book with support of Harper Collins (India) as publisher titled “Reimagining Pakistan: Transforming a Dysfunctional Nuclear State”. Indian publishers think that launch of this book on Pakistan’s seventieth independence anniversary will be a gift from Indians and arrogantly stating they mentioned that one can imagine that former Pakistan’s ambassador to the US, a compulsive detractor of Pakistan, who does not see anything worthwhile in Pakistan, would continue with his invectives against Pakistan and its institutions, especially military. With such anti-Pakistan statements it becomes responsibility of Pakistani media to expose such scapegoats on every forum so that one cannot mislead general public.